Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Spring 2015 Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: Full Calendar of Events (plus, Tips for Newbies)

The Ulta 21 Days of Beauty event is BACK for Spring 2015, and it starts THIS SUNDAY (March 15) and runs through April 4. Would you like to see the full calender of beauty steals? Of cousre you would!

If you're new to Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty events, it works like this: Every day for 21 days, Ulta offers a new, deeply-discounted, Beauty Steal. These Beauty Steals are for ONE DAY ONLY both in-store and online unless otherwise stated (some offers will be online only) and once they're gone, they're gone.

There are lots of great deals this time around, such as:

BOGOFREE Stila Smudge Sticks and 50% off Cargo Lip Colors on March 15th

IT Cosmetics Your Brows But Better Skinny Pencils 50% off ($12) on March 20

Since I've covered many of the previous 21 Days of Beauty events, I have some helpful tips that I've picked up along the way (many of them from YOU) that will hopefully increase your chances of getting these deals before they're sold out.

You have toact quickly during this event because the Beauty Steals do sell out in-store (often before noon the day of the event). But the Beauty Steals are also available online and you usually have a bit more time to get them online before they sell out (although sometimes you don't have as many options online when it comes to things like nail polish where sometimes there are more shade options available in-store than online during the event).

If you plan to make a purchase in-store, I highly recommend getting to your local Ulta the moment the store opens on the day of that particular event, if you are able to do so. I cannot tell you how many times I have pressed my luck and tried to pick up something during my lunch break, only to find that the item sold out earlier that morning. And be prepared for some craziness. If your Ulta is already a high-traffic store, and you go on the day of one of the more popular Beauty Steals, expect to stand in line for a while. That's why I suggest going as early in the morning as possible, since the crowds and lines will be nowhere near as crazy as lunchtime and after work.

If a deal on the calendar of events does not say "online only," then it is available both in-store and online. If you want any of the online-only deals, I would try to log on to the Ulta site as early as possible on the day of that particular Beauty Steal, to ensure that you get it before it sells out. I don't quite recall if these events go live right at midnight on the Ulta site, but if you do, please leave a comment and fill us in? Thanks! I want to say that last year they went live right at Midnight Pacific, but I might be getting that confused with another event.

If you have any other tips to contribute that might help us all out, please leave them below (and thank you!).

I'm really wanting to try the nail foundation or the horse power nail treatment. Out of the colors Sprog or Molly Coddled. My ULTA is terrible at keeping things stocked properly so I could get there and none of those things be there.

If you don't want to wait, Butter London has a 30% off coupon (springbezzie15) valid through Saturday. That's not so useful for individual polishes (30% off brings a $15 bottle down to only $10.50 each) but it can be a great deal for sets and collections.

I hope the new Pür Minerals Sugar Crush eye shadow palette will be on sale on the 18th but it doesn't say so specifically. I don't need it, but ever since it came out I keep petting the tester every time I go to Ulta. Sigh...

My Ulta Beauty Steal tip is to also check out the free gift with purchase specials and try to get both the beauty steal and the free gift. Last year, I picked up a free gift every time I went in for a beauty steal. I went from not being a high-end brand person to having more deluxe samples and value sets than I know what to do with. I also have a long list of high-end to drugstore comparisons to write up.

I'm looking forward to the Butter London sale...All Hail to the Queen (appears to be a good neutral for my very pale skin) and Trout Pout (a pretty Spring-Summer color). I, too, have wanted to try for awhile, but wasn't willing to "try" at $15 a bottle!

Yes, they're all available online as well to the extent that the items are available. Things def can & do sell out. Online also sometimes allows for more items to be purchased than in store, though this may have changed. A few years ago I was sick & couldn't get to the store so was picking up the butter London polishes online & discovered that the two polish limit online meant two polishes per color! Not two total as enforced in store. I later found the same to be true w/ some other items (can't recall what now...I think perhaps bare minerals blushes?...& I was able to do some great advance gift purchasing.) again I obviously can't guarantee that this "trick" will still work but it's worth a shot. Hope this helps!